1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication controlling apparatus that transmits data received from a line to a terminal connected to a serial bus (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cIEEE1394 busxe2x80x9d), which operates in conformity with IEEE1394, or transmits information sent over IEEE1394 bus from the terminal to the line.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, conversion of electronic equipment to the network system has progressed and not only personal computers (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cPCxe2x80x9d) but also printers, TV sets, digital cameras have been used as network equipment. In accordance with such progression, the media, which the electronic equipment handles, have been largely widened from texts to still images and moving images, and processing of even data with large quantity such as a color image has become possible.
In terms of the above factors, the speedup of network has been desired and attention has been paid to IEEE1394 as a technique that implements the high-speed network. At the present, standardization of protocol, which is based on IEEE1394, is proceeding. As result, the merge of media in which the scanner and printer, namely the PC peripherals, perform direct communications is implemented.
However, in the progression of conversion to the network system, the existing media such as a telephone, facsimile apparatus, remain in the conventional configuration. Interconnection between the existing media such as the telephone, facsimile apparatus and various kinds of media, which are connected to IEEE1394 bus, is not taken into account sufficiently.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication controlling apparatus that improves the merger between the high-speed/high capacity network and the existing media such as facsimile apparatus and the like and provide a serial bus managing apparatus.
The present invention includes a communication controlling apparatus, which is connected to a telephone line and a serial bus. The communication controlling apparatus comprises a mapping table for correlating a fixed address, which a terminal device possesses, with a node ID assigned to a terminal device, which is currently connected to a serial bus. Then, the present invention obtains a node ID of a terminal device, serving as a recipient of data received from the telephone line, from the mapping table, and transmits the received data from the line to the terminal device via the serial bus using the obtained node ID.
Moreover, the present invention includes a serial bus managing apparatus, which is connected to a serial bus. The serial bus managing apparatus comprises a mapping table for bring a fixed address, which a terminal device possesses, into correspondence with a node ID assigned to a terminal device, which is currently connected to a serial bus. Then, the present invention provides various kinds of information and functions in response to inquiries from the terminal device.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a communication controlling apparatus comprising a mapping table for bring a fixed address, which the terminal device possesses, into correspondence with a node ID assigned to a terminal device, which is connected to a current serial bus, an obtaining section for obtaining a node ID of a reception device, as a recipient of data received via a line, from the mapping table, and a transmitting section for transmitting received data from the line via the serial bus using the obtained node ID.
According to this configuration, since the node ID of the terminal device connected to the current serial bus is managed to be associated with the fixed address of each terminal device, the destination of data with a fixed address designated, which is sent out of the line, can be converted to the node ID and transmitted to the terminal device. Therefore, it is possible to transmit data to the terminal device over the serial bus surely without being influenced by the change in the node ID caused by occurrence of a bus reset.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a terminal device connected to the same serial bus as that of the communication controlling apparatus comprising an inquiring section for sending an inquiry to the communication controlling apparatus about a fixed address of a sender device, a header creating section for creating a transmission header in which the fixed address of sender device obtained from the communication controlling apparatus is embedded as a destination, and a transmitting section for transmitting transmission data to which the generated transmission header is added to the sender via the serial bus.
According to this configuration, the fixed address of the sender device can be obtained from the communication controlling apparatus, and the fixed address of at least the sender device is set to the transmission header. Whereby, even if data is transmitted to the different terminal device due to the change in the node ID caused by occurrence of the bus reset in the course of transmission, it is possible to detect miss-delivery at the terminal device.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a terminal device connected to the same serial bus as that of the communication controlling apparatus comprising a capturing section for temporarily capturing data in which the same node ID as that of the terminal device is set as an destination from a data stream of the serial bus, an inquiring section for sending an inquiry to the communication controlling apparatus about a fixed address of the terminal device when data is temporarily captured from the serial bus, and a capturing section for comparing a fixed address of the terminal device, which is obtained from the communication controlling apparatus, with a fixed address of a sender, which is embedded in a transmission header, to capture the compared fixed address as data directing to the terminal device when the address match occurs.
According to this configuration, when data is temporarily captured from the serial bus, there is provided the mapping table, which brings the data into correspondence with communication control node ID, the node ID of the terminal device, serving as a recipient of data received from the telephone line is obtained from the mapping table, and the received from the line is transmitted to the device via the serial bus using the obtained node ID.
Moreover, in the present invention, there is provided a mapping, which brings a fixed address, which a terminal device possesses, into correspondence with a node ID assigned to a terminal device connected to the current serial bus, in a serial bus managing apparatus connected to the serial bus, so that various kinds of information and functions are provided in response to an inquiry from the terminal device.